System and method for forming dovetail joints

A device for cutting sockets in the tailboard of a dovetail joint, said device comprising:

• a guide tube having a cutting edge, said guide tube having an outer surface with a cross-sectional trapezoidal shape and an inner surface with a cylindrical shape;
• and
• a drill bit rotatably mounted inside said guide tube;
• wherein said device is mountable to a source of power that provides vertical force to said device and torque to said drill bit.

A method of using a drill press to cut a dovetail joint, said dovetail joint for joining a pin board and a tail board, said drill press having a power head and a tiltable work table, said method comprising:

• using a first trapezoidal mortising chisel mounted on the power head of said drill press to cut at least a first group of one or more sockets in said tail board, said first trapezoidal mortising chisel having a guide tube and a drill bit, said guide tube having an outer surface with a cross-sectional trapezoidal shape, said trapezoidal shape having a pair of parallel sides and a pair of non-parallel sides, at least a first one of the pair of non-parallel sides being sloped at a first angle from a line perpendicular to the pair of parallel sides, said first angle corresponding to the slope of the sides of said first group of one or more sockets to be cut in said tail board, said step of using said first trapezoidal mortising chisel comprising using said power head to apply a vertical force to said trapezoidal mortising chisel and a torque to said drill bit;
• tilting said work table to said first angle relative to a horizontal position;
• and
• using a square mortising chisel mounted on the power head of said drill press to cut sockets in said pin board, said step of using a square mortising chisel comprising using said power head to apply a vertical force to said square mortising chisel and a torque to said drill bit, said step of using a square mortising chisel occurring while said work table is tilted at said first angle.

In a drill press having:

• (a) a vertical column having a collar with a first collar hole and a second collar hole;
• (b) a work table attached to a disk, said disk having a first disk hole and a second disk hole, said disk being attachable to said collar by a bolt inserted through said first disk hole and said first collar hole;
• (c) an alignment pin associated with said drill press, said alignment pin being receivable in said second collar hole and said second disk hole;
• the improvement comprising:
• a washer having a first washer hole, a starting radius, a washer pin located along said starting radius, and second and third washer holes, said second and third washer holes being disposed on opposing sides of said starting radius each at a first angle from said starting radius, said washer being mountable between said collar and said disk with said pin being received in said second collar hole, said bolt being received first through said first disk hole, next through said first washer hole, and next through said first collar hole;
• wherein said alignment pin is receivable through said second disk hole and either of said second and third washer holes so as to align said work table at said first angle of tilt.